


Treat

by financedsquash0



Series: Sentinel of Mine [2]
Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: 100 prompt challenge, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2015-03-24
Packaged: 2018-03-19 10:51:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3607386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/financedsquash0/pseuds/financedsquash0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things start getting strange for Marth around the manor following the awkward ordeal Ike and Zelda enacted. If he never finds out exactly what is happening- breached privacy, being chased by small children, and disconcerting glances- he may not make it to the end of the new tournament.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Treat

_Treat_

“What did that cupcake do to you?”

Marth jumped slightly at the voice that had interrupted him, glancing over his shoulder as the owner of said voice thumped down into the seat adjacent. “Ike,” he breathed exasperatedly, “what are you doing here?”

An eyebrow cocked at him. “Nu-uh Marth, I asked first. So tell me, what mortal sin has the cupcake committed to lose your favor?”

Slightly rolling his eyes, Marth made a point to reach over and snag a piece of bacon off of Ike's breakfast platter in revenge, enjoying the scandalized choking sound coming from beside him. With any luck, that would get the mercenary to not pick on him when he was mid crisis. “I found it.” Marth muttered into his fist, placing it high on a cheekbone and avoiding eye contact with anyone else in the room, including Ness who had been making eyes at him and his rogue cupcake for the past twenty minutes. 

“Found it.” Ike repeated skeptically, a spoonful of food tucked soundly in the corner of his mouth. “What do you mean “found it”? Was it lost?”

Brushing away crumbs laying on the table beside him, Marth couldn't help but smile slightly at Ike's antics. The cupcake, innocent and delicious looking with its swirling, light pink frosting and miniature decorative sprinkles shaped like a shepherd's crook in alternating red and white stripes, had been sitting outside of Marth's room in the middle of the hallway that morning. Somehow, the icing was untouched and not trod upon, but even stranger was the fact that no child participating in the tournament, as everyone in their abode was that year, had found it first. Which meant it had only just been placed outside his door...like someone knew when he woke up. “No Ike,” Marth responded under his breath, “it wasn't lost. You didn't happen to leave it somewhere though, did you?”

Ike's chewing slowed, a hard swallow filling the air around the table. “Marth, Marth, Marth,” he began drolly, “It's like you don't know me at all. I would never leave that poor, innocent cupcake unattended.” Ike's words were punctuated with a gesture from his fork towards the icing curling fashionably upwards.

“That's what I was afraid of...” Marth mumbled below his breath, trying not to let Ike hear him.

Ike fell unnaturally silent by his side, chomping away at his breakfast. In the mean time, Marth concentrated his efforts on analyzing the remainder of the patrons visiting the cafeteria. It was the latest the cafeteria was open in the morning and serving food, so Marth wasn't surprised to find several of the more socially awkward participants occupying nearby tables, as well as those who decided not to leave and took advantage of the endless platters of food. Unsurprisingly, one of the tables was occupied by the biggest eaters, namely the residents of Dreamland, and a myriad of foods covered the long rectangular table between the occupants. He was pretty sure that between King Dedede, who sat across several of the two circular stools attached to the bottom of the table, and Kirby, who was sitting across from the royal, that there would be no food left for any one else in the temporary housing they all shared. The food was disappearing by the minute, everything from donuts to a full breakfast casserole composed of bacon and eggs and everything in between, lost to the endless stomach of the pink puffball. Meta Knight sat aloof from his two companions, occupying the same side of the bench as Kirby and eyeing them warily, gaze inscrutable thanks to the mask firmly attached to his face. Catching his eye, Marth gave a slight wave and smile which was, as usual, not returned.

Unconcerned, Marth's gaze returned to the rest of the room, drawn to the psychic kids from Earthbound. Both children looked away as he met their eyes evenly, still making eyes at his cupcake when they thought he wasn't watching. He knew they wanted it, it wasn't hard to conclude given their longing glances, and the thought of sharing with the two children who were unfortunate enough to get involved in the insanity of the battles they faced every day made him feel unnaturally light inside, a warmth spreading through to his fingertips. It was obvious that the rest of the smashers had all the children restricted to a menial intake of sugar a day to evade any hyperactivity, specifically Wario, who ate all of the good food before the children could reach it, and the princesses, who insisted that the children should be eating a well rounded nutritious diet. But kids were kids, and the lack of sugar showed itself clearly in the way small eyes returned to the pastry placed on the table like it was a gemstone.

With a smile, the prince reached over to Ike's plate and pulled his knife from the side opposite, cutting the cupcake into three pieces. The mercenary was watching him, in what he assumed was inconspicuously, but Marth could feel the eyes on him as he stood from the table. “Where are you going?” Ike asked, grabbing the end of Marth's cape before he could move too far away from the table's side.

“Final Destination.” Marth shot back blandly, face inscrutable. “Where do you think?”

A flash of something dark made its way across Ike's face, eyes narrowing and a pinch forming between his brows. The look was gone as soon as it had come, replaced with what could be mistaken as confusion. “You giving up the cupcake?”

“Why, would you like some as well?” A small shifting of his fingers allowed the cupcake to rotate tantalizingly.

The face of the mercenary didn't change, but his eyes roved over Marth's form and down to the cupcake. “No. But what, one piece for Ness, one for Lucas and...Kirby?”

A huff of surprise left Marth's lips before he could stop it. “I think Kirby has plenty of food, don't you?” Said pink entity was actively inhaling as much food off the table as he could that Dedede wasn't holding down, said king giving a visible scowl and grabbing as much as he could in his arms and pinning it to the table beneath him.

Ike nodded a small, nearly imperceptible nod. “Then...yours?”

Cerulean eyes narrowed on Ike's face, a visible tinge of nervousness overtaking the typically stoic face of his friend. “Yes.”

The single word seemed to take his companion off guard. Ike's boots shuffled awkwardly underneath the table and his eyes roved past Marth to take in the sight of the two boys watching them from the table near the doors to the exit. Ness's young face was impassive as usual, not revealing any emotion except his desire to have a third of the tantalizing pastry, however Lucas's blonde hair bounced with excitement and nerves, the force of which shaking his body. Ike nodded slowly, meeting each boy's eyes from across the room. “Yeah,” he muttered lowly, “you go do that.”

Marth glanced over his shoulder, forcing his gaze to impassivity. “I will. And Ike?” The man looked up at him questioningly, the corner of his lips turned up in a compassionate grin as he waited for Marth to speak. “...you have to let go of my cape first, I believe.”

A flush crept along the back of Ike's neck, the red visible on both sides from where the prince looked at him, and Marth couldn't stop the fond smirk from growing across his face. The hand wrapped tightly in his cape reeled back as if it were shocked, leaving him free to move across the room. Ike waved him off irritably, the movement somewhat too vehement to be mistaken as apathetic like he was trying for. “Sure, sure; you just make sure you eat your piece, prince.”

Marth narrowed his eyes at the mercenary, but Ike's gaze was firmly averted and he was up, moving away from Marth with his plate still half full of food before anything else could be said. 'Which is stranger,' Marth pondered as he shook his head and started moving in the boy's direction, 'Ike not finishing his food, or Ike trying to make sure I eat a cupcake?'

The journey over to the two kids was quick, both pairs of eyes watching him as he approached. The two were standing now, headed to the door in an effort to leave before they had noticed him and halted all movement, acting like wary felines. He tried his best to put on a disarming smile and make his hands evident. It wasn't that either child was distrustful, but given that everyone was being pit in battles against one another it was probably best to present any intentions early to avoid misunderstanding.

Maybe he had been at war too long after all.

Sinking down to one knee, Marth kept the smile in place as best he could and lowered his voice to a soft whisper. “Good morning Ness, Lucas.”

Lucas shuffled slightly more behind Ness, eyeing Marth warily with his tuft of blonde hair poking out over Ness's shoulder. The blue and yellow striped t-shirt adorning Ness's chest puffed out a little, like he was trying to be intimidating, but it was difficult to take him seriously while his eyes tracked the hand Marth held the cupcake in. “Good morning, Prince Marth.” Ness stated as clearly and loudly as was socially acceptable over breakfast.

With a grin, Marth held out the tissue paper wrapping containing all three even pieces of cupcake. He tried not to push it too far into his space, since Ness's vibrato seemed to make the forever shy Lucas more comfortable and he wanted both of them to be at ease. “Would either of you like to share this cupcake with me?”

Lucas moved first, longing eyes on the slices of cake. His arms reached tentatively over Ness's shoulder, barely skimming the ebony hair of the boy before him as tiny fingers extended towards a piece of cake with many more sprinkles of candy canes littering the top. “Yes, please.” Ness stated, a smile tracking over his slightly pudgy cheeks, baby fat still present.

'They're too young to be here.' Marth mused as he seated himself on the floor before Ness, the boy having taken the piece of cupcake and seated himself down cross-legged by Lucas.

The smiles on both childrens' faces was warming to his heart, icing smearing across their cheeks and clothes haphazardly as the consumed their third. Marth, who had never had a taste for overly sweet foods, glanced down at the third of the cupcake that was left and resigned himself to try a piece. Using his thumb and middle finger, he gently pinched the sides of the spongy bread, a mantra of encouragement rattling through his brain. Little crumbs of light yellow flaked off and down onto the tissue paper, bits of icing smearing onto the pad of his thumb which he was careful not to get anywhere near his cape. Placing the icing on his tongue yielded the same result as the last time he consumed sweet food after having been bribed by his young, redheaded friend in a previous tournament, mouth twisting slightly in displeasure as he felt his stomach roil and face begin to burn. Sugar was delicious to the taste, but the thickness to icing always seemed to cause a dull heat to prickle in his face. It didn't ever feel like the aggressive, displeasure that allergies tended to gift him, but it was enough to make things excessively sweet unpleasant.

“Marth?”

The quiet voice had his head darting up to where Lucas was watching him questioningly, icing smeared across his cheeks and hands. A full smile stretched across his face, reassuring the boys the best he could that nothing was wrong. “I'm fine, Lucas.”

“Then what's with the face?” Ness asked bluntly. “Cupcake wasn't poisoned or anything, was it?”  
  
Lucas's eyes opened comically wide at the accusation, and Marth could see from where he was sitting that moisture was beginning to accumulate. “No no no,” Marth stated quickly, a hand held out to the two boys in appeal, “not at all. I just find that I really dislike this sort of dessert is all.”

“You don't like cupcakes?” Lucas reiterated in surprise.

His cape shuffled slightly as he shrugged in apathy. “I've just never found it to be my favorite thing to eat is all. I apologize if I made you nervous, Ness, it was not my intention.”He stood slowly, brushing off his pants as the two boys watched him begin to move. “I hate to leave you boys, but I’m due for some training before the matches begin. My condolences for not being invited to the fight this year, Lucas.”

The little boy shrugged, a small fist twisting into his red and yellow shirt that nearly matched Ness's. “Don't worry about me, Marth.” Shock covered his face for a moment. “Ah! Can I call you just Marth, Prince?”

“Of course you can, Lucas.” He let the responding grin spread across his face. “In fact, would you like my share of the cupcake?”

Before he could even extend his hand, the cupcake was swiped from it and the icing was added to Lucas's cheeks. Marth couldn't resist the laughter the bubbled out of him at Ness's scandalized expression. He briefly regretted that he didn't ask Ness if they would like to share beforehand, and as he walked away with a swish of his cape he tried not to notice that Ness was staring at Lucas's icing-coated fingers longingly. It must have been a good cupcake.

He would regret sharing the pastry with the boys later in the week. Over the course of several days, more food kept popping up around Marth in the mornings, evenings, and nights. He sat quietly on the old couch where he used to sit with Roy and cheer in front of the big screen television for participants who had no scheduled matches that day, his legs tucked up to his chin and arms wrapped around them with a keen eye out for more confectioneries. He was honestly terrified to find another since it usually accompanied one of the children finding him, as if they had radar for candies. However, no one came into the observation room pre-tourney, so he had the room to himself. The television mounted on the wall had a view of the open battlefield on it, dusk having just covered the field and the light blue lights traced the patterns in the bricks lining the ground.

The first pastry following the cupcake appeared innocently enough. It was only a few hours later, the cupcake devoured just after breakfast time, that a plate of what looked like a pie appeared in the hallway perched gently on the buffet table by the door of his room. He stared at it for a moment, inspecting the half circle of baked bread pressed in a pretty pattern across the edges, before picking up the fork placed gently nearby. Cutting into it with the side of the utensil, he found the inside to be filled with a thick, paste-like substance with small chunks of full nuts visible inside. With a tentative bite, he could tell the inside was composed of freshly mashed fruits, dried to perfection and mixed with coconut inside the crumbling and dry bread. Too dry bread... He really couldn't enjoy the disparity of the textures. Again, in a manner similar to the cupcake, it wasn't a bad desert, but he couldn't find that he enjoyed eating it. He counted himself lucky when the miniature Hylian came down the hall dragging his equipment for an afternoon practice round and took the pastry off his hands, since he enjoyed sharing with the children in the mansion and sweets were so hard to come by.

The second pastry made him a little more nervous. It appeared after dinner that night, as if there was a convoluted deal that he was allowed to have one dessert per meal, but this one was at his bedside table inside his room. It was well known that he did not lock his door when he was out, but he had never been given reason to. To think that someone was taking advantage of his trust in his fellow smashers to sneak into his room was...disturbing. Although, they were only giving him free food, so he supposed he really had no right to complain. Cautiously, he approached the food, observing the little mound of dough. “Apple charlotte?” He mumbled after a cautionary cut, a paste the consistency of pie-filling spilling out the side. Still, he found himself appreciating the taste of the food, spicy apples and fried bread a delightful mixture, but the taste of apples not quite appealing. Having grown up by the coast, apple trees were moderately difficult to come by, making them a delicacy that he never gained a taste for. This treat was gifted to Zelda as she passed through the hall, which Marth had entered to dispose of what was left of the pastry.

And they kept appearing. Next was halva at breakfast, bread logs that looked similar to slabs of granite, then mango fruit fool, then chocolate chip muffins, honey yogurt cheesecake, brown sugar meringues, panforte donuts pie- it was all getting to be too much for the poor prince, who was beginning to be followed by the children of the manor no matter where he went as they tried to get his next dessert. He continued to pawn them off, unable to finish any of them. Too sweet, too bitter, too dry; there was always something wrong with the dessert he found that put him off of the sweet.

Thus, Marth found himself huddled on the crème couch in the observation room that night after three consecutive days of desserts spontaneously appearing. It was driving him crazy to be followed by children all day, only to be disturbed at where the desserts continued to appear when they finally let him be. One had even appeared on his chest when he woke up one morning, which was far too personal for him to be comfortable with. Someone had come into his room while he slept, and if that wasn't the most stalker-like way to deliver dessert than he didn't know what was. He had tried pawning the desserts off on Ike as well, but the mercenary would always eye him suspiciously, then ask if he had a bite yet. If he said yes, Ike would ask if he liked it. Since it was typically the negative, he would then have the dessert snatched from his hands and devoured on the spot. It was only strange when Marth said no, he had yet to have a bite. Then Ike would trail him all day long, keeping the kids and Dreamland residents away until Marth would taste the gifted food.

It seemed that Ike was a part of the dessert mystery, and that Marth could not depend on his closest friend to give him a hint or make his life even slightly easier. Curled on the couch, he couldn't find that he cared. It was peaceful being shut in the room, knowing that no crazy confections would find him there, leaving him alone and a little bit relieved.

A form suddenly moved across the television, which had been left on by another smasher, catching Marth's attention. The blue light of battlefield showed the form of the green clad Hylian, and it was only now that he was seeing him on the stage unloading his heavier gadgets that he realized he had not seem him for the past few days, specifically since the forced ballroom dancing lesson Zelda and Ike had made them endure. The experience wasn't painful in itself, but he couldn't make eye contact with Link anymore without feeling misplaced heat in his cheeks. He imagined it was from the crowd of people who had watched them dance that day and the way everyone kept talking about it, but he just wasn't ready to face Link again with their laughing faces so clear in his mind.

But watching him on the television was different, right?

Marth placed his chin on his knees, watching quietly as the long-eared hero placed several items on the floor around him and finally plopped down on the stage himself, staring up at the night sky. It looked relaxing, but as per usual the face beneath the forest green hat was unreadable, eyes reflecting the stars above. He looked at peace in a way that Marth knew he would not be if anyone was there with him, and the prince found he could understand the notion. He toyed briefly with the idea of joining him, longing for the silence of the stage and good company- and a pastry-free zone- but it was long past the time he should have retired to bed.

He stood and stretched, whispering a quiet “goodnight” to the screen as he made his way back to his room.

Waking up was not the most pleasant experience. He may have avoided the pastry last night, as there was nothing left in his room, but a thin loaf of what looked like daisy-golden bread was placed gently at his bedside, fork in place as was routine. Marth sighed, feet and waist still tucked under the heavy white duvet as he pressed his fist into his cheek to support his weight. Eyes glaring, he drew back the covers and padded over to the plate, sleep pants dragging across the floor and hung low on his sharp hips. It was almost unfair that he couldn't get rid of these ridiculous treats, no matter how he appreciated the thought of the individual leaving them. “Clothes first.” Marth muttered, turning his bare chest away from the sweet and making for his closet. “Then annoying supernatural snacks.”

It didn't take long to throw on his standard blue outfit, without the cape and armor today, and he grabbed the plate of bread as an afterthought as he headed out the door. He tried hard not to glare at the bread as he made his way towards the cafeteria to meet up with Ike like they planned. It wasn't the food's fault it kept showing up and annoying him, it just sat there looking pretty and taunting him every morning. He swept through the hallway, trying not to notice that Ness and Lucas, as well as Pikachu (who had received his donuts) and Falco (who had been gifted the brown sugar meringue) had seen him with a new plate and tracked him with their eyes down the hall, even going so far as to follow him around the first corner. He was becoming a meal ticket to the other smashers, and his nerves were frayed.

The same event happened as he finally entered the large cafeteria, tiled floor making his boots clack as he strode irritably towards the table where Ike sat. Except today, Ike sat with company.

Link looked up at him as he approached the table, eyes somewhat wider than usual. His hand had frozen mid-scoop of what looked like colored chips of sugary wheat, milk dripping from the spoon that was only halfway to his mouth, and watched as Marth threw the plate down to the plastic surface with a clatter across from Ike. “It doesn't end!” He hissed, glaring at Ike. “And you're no help!”

Ike merely smiled at his frustration, taking what Marth could only call a snarky bite of ham. “Sorry, Prince; mystery desserts aren't my specialty. Have you-”

“If you say “tasted it yet”...” Marth warned, fingers tightening on the plate as he plopped down into his chair with a thud.

Ike fell silent, but his smirk never left his face. Shoulders shrugging, the built man returned his full attention to the meat on his porcelain plate, knife digging in prehistorically. With a bite to his lip and a groan of frustration, Marth picked up the loaf of bread, resigned to give it a try. He took a small bite when he heard Link take a bite of his cereal, knowing he was not being observed by either of his companions, and felt his taste buds explode with a tart flavor. Moist bread filled his mouth, soft and delicious with just a strand of icing covering the upper side of the loaf adding just that bit of sweetness to the tart taste of lemon. His eyes fluttered shut, a light moan sneaking past his lips. “Guessing it's good?” Ike asked quietly.

Ike was ignored as Marth took a nearly theatrical bite of the bread, fingers holding the piece of heaven reverently. Head cocked to the side, Ike reached over the table across from Marth, aiming to take a crumb from the miniature plate that had once held the bread. However, Marth's dark look and a fork poised for attack stopped him in his tracks. “Come on, man!” Ike protested with a wave of his knife. “You're usually trying to pawn those desserts off on anyone who'll take them! Let me have a bite!”  
  
“Well, maybe I like this one.” Marth muttered around the soft food.

Ike smiled softly, the action going unnoticed by the prince across the table. He clasped a large hand onto the shoulder of the man seated next to him, whose gaze remained low on the table. The slight shake administered to the shoulder nearly had Link toppling out of the chair, but the small victory was so good that neither man minded, pulling the Hylian's lips upwards in a grin.

Ike was just glad he didn't have to eat any more desserts. There were only so many training exercises he could do every day to work off the experiments Marth rejected. In contrast, Ness and Lucas were much disappointed when Marth was no longer sharing his desserts every morning, which he still did receive. Upon awakening, he always found a small plate, porcelain and ornate with flowers of blue and pink with twisting green vines across the rim and lined in gold, with a single iced piece of lemon buttermilk pound cake arranged tastefully atop.

The fork was placed on top invitingly, just as it was on every treat.


End file.
